Performance test correlates of component factors of impulsiveness

Impulsiveness is a multifactorial trait, but studies using experimental performance tasks of impulsiveness rarely consider that they might only assess narrow components of this trait. In this study, we administered a battery of performance tests in an attempt to find unique correlates of the subdimensions of impulsiveness assessed by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS). Forty healthy adult participants received the BIS and performance tests selected to measure key behavioral features of impulsiveness, including temporal regulation (time estimation), motor inhibition (stop-signal reaction time), and response organization (complex reaction time). We hypothesized that each task would correlate most strongly with a different BIS subdimension: Cognitive, Motor, and Non-Planning Impulsiveness, respectively. Results were consistent with this hypothesis for Motor and Non-Planning Impulsiveness. Time estimation correlated most strongly with Cognitive Impulsiveness, and this relationship reached significance in an expanded version of the sample. Performance tests were uncorrelated with one another, providing support for the relative independence of the underlying dimensions of impulsiveness. Data suggest there may be multiple behavioral pathways to impulsive behavior. Future studies using performance tests must be aware of their specific associations to subdimensions of impulsiveness, particularly when relating them to morphologic or neurotransmitter measures in the brain.